A
Problem for All Men
3. Today it is most
important for people to understand and
appreciate that the social question ties all
men together, in every part of the world.
John XXIII stated this clearly, (6) and
Vatican II confirmed it in its Pastoral
Constitution on The Church in the World of
Today. (7) The seriousness and urgency of
these teachings must be recognized without
delay.
The hungry nations
of the world cry out to the peoples blessed
with abundance. And the Church, cut to the
quick by this cry, asks each and every man
to hear his brother's plea and answer it
lovingly.
Our Journeys
4. Before We became
pope, We traveled to Latin America (1960)
and Africa (1962). There We saw the
perplexing problems that vex and besiege
these continents, which are otherwise full
of life and promise. On being elected pope,
We became the father of all men. We made
trips to Palestine and India, gaining
first-hand knowledge of the difficulties
that these age-old civilizations must face
in their struggle for further development.
Before the close of the Second Vatican
Council, providential circumstances allowed
Vs to address the United Nations and to
plead the case of the impoverished nations
before that distinguished assembly.
Justice and Peace
5. Even more
recently, We sought to fulfill the wishes of
the Council and to demonstrate the Holy
See's concern for the developing nations. To
do this, We felt it was necessary to add
another pontifical commission to the
Church's central administration . The
purpose of this commission is "to awaken in
the People of God full awareness of their
mission today. In this way they can further
the progress of poorer nations and
international social justice, as well as
help less developed nations to contribute to
their own development." (8)
The name of this
commission, Justice and Peace, aptly
describes its program and its goal. We are
sure that all men of good will want to join
Our fellow Catholics and fellow Christians
in carrying out this program. So today We
earnestly urge all men to pool their ideas
and their activities for man's complete
development and the development of all
mankind.
I.
MAN 'S COMPLETE DEVELOPMENT
6. Today we see men
trying to secure a sure food supply, cures
for diseases, and steady employment. We see
them trying to eliminate every ill, to
remove every obstacle which offends man's
dignity. They are continually striving to
exercise greater personal responsibility; to
do more, learn more, and have more so that
they might increase their personal worth.
And yet, at the same time, a large number of
them live amid conditions which frustrate
these legitimate desires.
Moreover, those
nations which have recently gained
independence find that political freedom is
not enough. They must also acquire the
social and economic structures and processes
that accord with man's nature and activity,
if their citizens are to achieve personal
growth and if their country is to take its
rightful place in the international
community.
Effects of Colonialism
7. Though
insufficient for the immensity and urgency
of the task, the means inherited from the
past are not totally useless. It is true
that colonizing nations were sometimes
concerned with nothing save their own
interests, their own power and their own
prestige; their departure left the economy
of these countries in precarious
imbalance—the one-crop economy, for example,
which is at the mercy of sudden,
wide-ranging fluctuations in market prices.
Certain types of colonialism surely caused
harm and paved the way for further troubles.
On the other hand,
we must also reserve a word of praise for
those colonizers whose skills and technical
know-how brought benefits to many untamed
lands, and whose work survives to this day.
The structural machinery they introduced was
not fully developed or perfected, but it did
help to reduce ignorance and disease, to
promote communication, and to improve living
conditions.
The Widening Gap
8. Granted all
this, it is only too clear that these
structures are no match for the harsh
economic realities of today. Unless the
existing machinery is modified, the
disparity between rich and poor nations will
increase rather than diminish; the rich
nations are progressing with rapid strides
while the poor nations move forward at a
slow pace.
The imbalance grows
with each passing day: while some nations
produce a food surplus, other nations are in
desperate need of food or are unsure of
their export market.
Signs of Social Unrest
9. At the same
time, social unrest has gradually spread
throughout the world. The acute restlessness
engulfing the poorer classes in countries
that are now being industrialized has spread
to other regions where agriculture is the
mainstay of the economy. The farmer is
painfully aware of his "wretched lot." (9)
Then there are the
flagrant inequalities not merely in the
enjoyment of possessions, but even more in
the exercise of power. In certain regions a
privileged minority enjoys the refinements
of life, while the rest of the inhabitants,
impoverished and disunited, "are deprived of
almost all possibility of acting on their
own initiative and responsibility, and often
subsist in living and working conditions
unworthy of the human person." (10) Cultural
Conflicts
10. Moreover,
traditional culture comes into conflict with
the advanced techniques of modern
industrialization; social structures out of
tune with today's demands are threatened
with extinction. For the older generation,
the rigid structures of traditional culture
are the necessary mainstay of one's personal
and family life; they cannot be abandoned.
The younger generation, on the other hand,
regards them as useless obstacles, and
rejects them to embrace new forms of
societal life.
The conflict
between generations leads to a tragic
dilemma: either to preserve traditional
beliefs and structures and reject social
progress; or to embrace foreign technology
and foreign culture, and reject ancestral
traditions with their wealth of humanism.
The sad fact is that we often see the older
moral, spiritual and religious values give
way without finding any place in the new
scheme of things.
Concomitant Dangers
11. In such
troubled times some people are strongly
tempted by the alluring but deceitful
promises of would-be saviors. Who does not
see the concomitant dangers: public
upheavals, civil insurrection, the drift
toward totalitarian ideologies?
These are the
realities of the question under study here,
and their gravity must surely be apparent to
everyone.
The Church and Development
12. True to the
teaching and example of her divine Founder,
who cited the preaching of the Gospel to the
poor as a sign of His mission, (12) the
Church has never failed to foster the human
progress of the nations to which she brings
faith in Christ. Besides erecting sacred
edifices, her missionaries have also
promoted construction of hospitals,
sanitariums, schools and universities. By
teaching the native population how to take
full advantage of natural resources, the
missionaries often protected them from the
greed of foreigners.
We would certainly
admit that this work was sometimes far from
perfect, since it was the work of men. The
missionaries sometimes intermingled the
thought patterns and behavior patterns of
their native land with the authentic message
of Christ. Yet, for all this, they did
protect and promote indigenous institutions;
and many of them pioneered in promoting the
country's material and cultural progress.
We need only
mention the efforts of Pere Charles de
Foucauld: he compiled a valuable dictionary
of the Tuareg language, and his charity won
him the title, "everyone's brother." So We
deem it fitting to praise those oft
forgotten pioneers who were motivated by
love for Christ, just as We honor their
imitators and successors who today continue
to put themselves at the generous and
unselfish service of those to whom they
preach the Gospel.
The Present Need
13. In the present
day, however, individual and group effort
within these countries is no longer enough.
The world situation requires the concerted
effort of everyone, a thorough examination
of every facet of the problem—social,
economic, cultural and spiritual.
The Church, which
has long experience in human affairs and has
no desire to be involved in the political
activities of any nation, "seeks but one
goal: to carry forward the work of Christ
under the lead of the befriending Spirit.
And Christ entered this world to give
witness to the truth; to save, not to judge;
to serve, not to be served.'' (12)
Founded to build
the kingdom of heaven on earth rather than
to acquire temporal power, the Church openly
avows that the two powers—Church and
State—are distinct from one another; that
each is supreme in its own sphere of
competency. (13) But since the Church does
dwell among men, she has the duty "of
scrutinizing the signs of the times and of
interpreting them in the light of the
Gospel." (14) Sharing the noblest
aspirations of men and suffering when she
sees these aspirations not satisfied, she
wishes to help them attain their full
realization. So she offers man her
distinctive contribution: a global
perspective on man and human realities.
Authentic Development
14. The development
We speak of here cannot be restricted to
economic growth alone. To be authentic, it
must be well rounded; it must foster the
development of each man and of the whole
man. As an eminent specialist on this
question has rightly said: "We cannot allow
economics to be separated from human
realities, nor development from the
civilization in which it takes place. What
counts for us is man—each individual man,
each human group, and humanity as a whole.''
(15)
Personal Responsibility
15. In God's plan,
every man is born to seek self-fulfillment,
for every human life is called to some task
by God. At birth a human being possesses
certain aptitudes and abilities in germinal
form, and these qualities are to be
cultivated so that they may bear fruit. By
developing these traits through formal
education of personal effort, the individual
works his way toward the goal set for him by
the Creator.
Endowed with
intellect and free will, each man is
responsible for his self-fulfillment even as
he is for his salvation. He is helped, and
sometimes hindered, by his teachers and
those around him; yet whatever be the
outside influences exerted on him, he is the
chief architect of his own success or
failure. Utilizing only his talent and
willpower, each man can grow in humanity,
enhance his personal worth, and perfect
himself.
Man's Supernatural Destiny
16.
Self-development, however, is not left up to
man's option. Just as the whole of creation
is ordered toward its Creator, so too the
rational creature should of his own accord
direct his life to God, the first truth and
the highest good. Thus human
self-fulfillment may be said to sum up our
obligations.
Moreover, this
harmonious integration of our human nature,
carried through by personal effort and
responsible activity, is destined for a
higher state of perfection. United with the
life-giving Christ, man's life is newly
enhanced; it acquires a transcendent
humanism which surpasses its nature and
bestows new fullness of life. This is the
highest goal of human self-fulfillment.
Ties With All Men
17. Each man is
also a member of society; hence he belongs
to the community of man. It is not just
certain individuals but all men who are
called to further the development of human
society as a whole. Civilizations spring up,
flourish and die. As the waves of the sea
gradually creep farther and farther in along
the shoreline, so the human race inches its
way forward through history.
We are the heirs of
earlier generations, and we reap benefits
from the efforts of our contemporaries; we
are under obligation to all men. Therefore
we cannot disregard the welfare of those who
will come after us to increase the human
family. The reality of human solidarity
brings us not only benefits but also
obligations.
Development in Proper Perspective
18. Man's personal
and collective fulfillment could be
jeopardized if the proper scale of values
were not maintained. The pursuit of life's
necessities is quite legitimate; hence we
are duty-bound to do the work which enables
us to obtain them: "If anyone is unwilling
to work, do not let him eat.'' (l6) But the
acquisition of worldly goods can lead men to
greed, to the unrelenting desire for more,
to the pursuit of greater personal power.
Rich and poor alike—be they individuals,
families or nations—can fall prey to avarice
and soulstifling materialism.
Latent Dangers
19. Neither
individuals nor nations should regard the
possession of more and more goods as the
ultimate objective. Every kind of progress
is a two-edged sword. It is necessary if man
is to grow as a human being; yet it can also
enslave him, if he comes to regard it as the
supreme good and cannot look beyond it. When
this happens, men harden their hearts, shut
out others from their minds and gather
together solely for reasons of self-interest
rather than out of friendship; dissension
and disunity follow soon after.
Thus the exclusive
pursuit of material possessions prevents
man's growth as a human being and stands in
opposition to his true grandeur. Avarice, in
individuals and in nations, is the most
obvious form of stultified moral
development.
A
New Humanism Needed
20. If development
calls for an ever-growing number of
technical experts, even more necessary still
is the deep thought and reflection of wise
men in search of a new humanism, one which
will enable our contemporaries to enjoy the
higher values of love and friendship, of
prayer and contemplation, (17) and thus find
themselves. This is what will guarantee
man's authentic development—his transition
from less than human conditions to truly
human ones.
The Scale of Values
21. What are less
than human conditions? The material poverty
of those who lack the bare necessities of
life, and the moral poverty of those who are
crushed under the weight of their own
self-love; oppressive political structures
resulting from the abuse of ownership or the
improper exercise of power, from the
exploitation of the worker or unjust
transactions.
What are truly
human conditions? The rise from poverty to
the acquisition of life's necessities; the
elimination of social ills; broadening the
horizons of knowledge; acquiring refinement
and culture. From there one can go on to
acquire a growing awareness of other
people's dignity, a taste for the spirit of
poverty, (l8) an active interest in the
common good, and a desire for peace. Then
man can acknowledge the highest values and
God Himself, their author and end. Finally
and above all, there is faith—God's gift to
men of good will—and our loving unity in
Christ, who calls all men to share God's
life as sons of the living God, the Father
of all men.
Issues and Principles
22. In the very
first pages of Scripture we read these
words: "Fill the earth and subdue it."(19)
This teaches us that the whole of creation
is for man, that he has been charged to give
it meaning by his intelligent activity, to
complete and perfect it by his own efforts
and to his own advantage.
Now if the earth
truly was created to provide man with the
necessities of life and the tools for his
own progress, it follows that every man has
the right to glean what he needs from the
earth. The recent Council reiterated this
truth: "God intended the earth and
everything in it for the use of all human
beings and peoples. Thus, under the
leadership of justice and in the company of
charity, created goods should flow fairly to
all." (20)
All other rights,
whatever they may be, including the rights
of property and free trade, are to be
subordinated to this principle. They should
in no way hinder it; in fact, they should
actively facilitate its implementation.
Redirecting these rights back to their
original purpose must be regarded as an
important and urgent social duty.
The Use of Private Property
23. "He who has the
goods of this world and sees his brother in
need and closes his heart to him, how does
the love of God abide in him?" (21) Everyone
knows that the Fathers of the Church laid
down the duty of the rich toward the poor in
no uncertain terms. As St. Ambrose put it:
"You are not making a gift of what is yours
to the poor man, but you are giving him back
what is his. You have been appropriating
things that are meant to be for the common
use of everyone. The earth belongs to
everyone, not to the rich." (22) These words
indicate that the right to private property
is not absolute and unconditional.
No one may
appropriate surplus goods solely for his own
private use when others lack the bare
necessities of life. In short, "as the
Fathers of the Church and other eminent
theologians tell us, the right of private
property may never be exercised to the
detriment of the common good." When "private
gain and basic community needs conflict with
one another," it is for the public
authorities "to seek a solution to these
questions, with the active involvement of
individual citizens and social groups." (23)
The Common Good
24. If certain
landed estates impede the general prosperity
because they are extensive, unused or poorly
used, or because they bring hardship to
peoples or are detrimental to the interests
of the country, the common good sometimes
demands their expropriation.
Vatican II affirms
this emphatically. (24) At the same time it
clearly teaches that income thus derived is
not for man's capricious use, and that the
exclusive pursuit of personal gain is
prohibited. Consequently, it is not
permissible for citizens who have garnered
sizeable income from the resources and
activities of their own nation to deposit a
large portion of their income in foreign
countries for the sake of their own private
gain alone, taking no account of their
country's interests; in doing this, they
clearly wrong their country. (25)
The Value of lndustrialization
25. The
introduction of industrialization, which is
necessary for economic growth and human
progress, is both a sign of development and
a spur to it. By dint of intelligent thought
and hard work, man gradually uncovers the
hidden laws of nature and learns to make
better use of natural resources. As he takes
control over his way of life, he is
stimulated to undertake new investigations
and fresh discoveries, to take prudent risks
and launch new ventures, to act responsibly
and give of himself unselfishly.
Unbridled Liberalism
26. However,
certain concepts have somehow arisen out of
these new conditions and insinuated
themselves into the fabric of human society.
These concepts present profit as the chief
spur to economic progress, free competition
as the guiding norm of economics, and
private ownership of the means of production
as an absolute right, having no limits nor
concomitant social obligations.
This unbridled
liberalism paves the way for a particular
type of tyranny, rightly condemned by Our
predecessor Pius XI, for it results in the
"international imperialism of money."(26)
Such improper
manipulations of economic forces can never
be condemned enough; let it be said once
again that economics is supposed to be in
the service of man. (27)
But if it is true
that a type of capitalism, as it is commonly
called, has given rise to hardships, unjust
practices, and fratricidal conflicts that
persist to this day, it would be a mistake
to attribute these evils to the rise of
industrialization itself, for they really
derive from the pernicious economic concepts
that grew up along with it. We must in all
fairness acknowledge the vital role played
by labor systemization and industrial
organization in the task of development.
Nobility of Work
27. The concept of
work can turn into an exaggerated mystique.
Yet, for all that, it is something willed
and approved by God. Fashioned in the image
of his Creator, "man must cooperate with Him
in completing the work of creation and
engraving on the earth the spiritual imprint
which he himself has received." (25) God
gave man intelligence, sensitivity and the
power of thought—tools with which to finish
and perfect the work He began. Every worker
is, to some extent, a creator—be he artist,
craftsman, executive, laborer or farmer.
Bent over a
material that resists his efforts, the
worker leaves his imprint on it, at the same
time developing his own powers of
persistence, inventiveness and
concentration. Further, when work is done in
common—when hope, hardship, ambition and joy
are shared—it brings together and firmly
unites the wills, minds and hearts of men.
In its accomplishment, men find themselves
to be brothers. (29)
Dangers and Ideals
28. Work, too, has
a double edge. Since it promises money,
pleasure and power, it stirs up selfishness
in some and incites other to revolt. On the
other hand, it also fosters a professional
outlook, a sense of duty, and love of
neighbor. Even though it is now being
organized more scientifically and
efficiently, it still can threaten man's
dignity and enslave him; for work is human
only if it results from man's use of
intellect and free will.
Our predecessor
John XXIII stressed the urgent need of
restoring dignity to the worker and making
him a real partner in the common task:
"Every effort must be made to ensure that
the enterprise is indeed a true human
community, concerned about the needs, the
activities and the standing of each of its
members." (30)
Considered from a
Christian point of view, work has an even
loftier connotation. It is directed to the
establishment of a supernatural order here
on earth, (31) a task that will not be
completed until we all unite to form that
perfect manhood of which St. Paul speaks,
"the mature measure of the fullness of
Christ." (32)
Balanced Progress Required
29. We must make
haste. Too many people are suffering. While
some make progress, others stand still or
move backwards; and the gap between them is
widening. However, the work must proceed in
measured steps if the proper equilibrium is
to be maintained. Makeshift agrarian reforms
may fall short of their goal. Hasty
industrialization can undermine vital
institutions and produce social evils,
causing a setback to true human values.
Reform, Not Revolution
30. The injustice
of certain situations cries out for God's
attention. Lacking the bare necessities of
life, whole nations are under the thumb of
others; they cannot act on their own
initiative; they cannot exercise personal
responsibility; they cannot work toward a
higher degree of cultural refinement or a
greater participation in social and public
life. They are sorely tempted to redress
these insults to their human nature by
violent means.
31. Everyone knows,
however, that revolutionary uprisings—except
where there is manifest, longstanding
tyranny which would do great damage to
fundamental personal rights and dangerous
harm to the common good of the
country—engender new injustices, introduce
new inequities and bring new disasters. The
evil situation that exists, and it surely is
evil, may not be dealt with in such a way
that an even worse situation results.
A
Task for Everyone
32. We want to be
clearly understood on this point: The
present state of affairs must be confronted
boldly, and its concomitant injustices must
be challenged and overcome. Continuing
development calls for bold innovations that
will work profound changes. The critical
state of affairs must be corrected for the
better without delay.
Everyone must lend
a ready hand to this task, particularly
those who can do most by reason of their
education, their office, or their authority.
They should set a good example by
contributing part of their own goods, as
several of Our brother bishops have done.
(33) In this way they will be responsive to
men's longings and faithful to the Holy
Spirit, because "the ferment of the Gospel,
too, has aroused and continues to arouse in
man's heart the irresistible requirements of
his dignity. (34)
Programs and Planning
33. Individual
initiative alone and the interplay of
competition will not ensure satisfactory
development. We cannot proceed to increase
the wealth and power of the rich while we
entrench the needy in their poverty and add
to the woes of the oppressed. Organized
programs are necessary for "directing,
stimulating, coordinating, supplying and
integrating" (35) the work of individuals
and intermediary organizations.
It is for the
public authorities to establish and lay down
the desired goals, the plans to be followed,
and the methods to be used in fulfilling
them; and it is also their task to stimulate
the efforts of those involved in this common
activity. But they must also see to it that
private initiative and intermediary
organizations are involved in this work. In
this way they will avoid total
collectivization and the dangers of a
planned economy which might threaten human
liberty and obstruct the exercise of man's
basic human rights.
The Ultimate Purpose
34. Organized
programs designed to increase productivity
should have but one aim: to serve human
nature. They should reduce inequities,
eliminate discrimination, free men from the
bonds of servitude, and thus give them the
capacity, in the sphere of temporal
realities, to improve their lot, to further
their moral growth and to develop their
spiritual endowments. When we speak of
development, we should mean social progress
as well as economic growth.
It is not enough to
increase the general fund of wealth and then
distribute it more fairly. It is not enough
to develop technology so that the earth may
become a more suitable living place for
human beings. The mistakes of those who led
the way should help those now on the road to
development to avoid certain dangers. The
reign of technology—technocracy, as it is
called—can cause as much harm to the world
of tomorrow as liberalism did to the world
of yesteryear. Economics and technology are
meaningless if they do not benefit man, for
it is he they are to serve. Man is truly
human only if he is the master of his own
actions and the judge of their worth, only
if he is the architect of his own progress.
He must act according to his God-given
nature, freely accepting its potentials and
its claims upon him.
Basic Education
35. We can even say
that economic growth is dependent on social
progress, the goal to which it aspires; and
that basic education is the first objective
for any nation seeking to develop itself.
Lack of education is as serious as lack of
food; the illiterate is a starved spirit.
When someone learns how to read and write,
he is equipped to do a job and to shoulder a
profession, to develop selfconfidence and
realize that he can progress along with
others. As We said in Our message to the
UNESCO meeting at Teheran, literacy is the
"first and most basic tool for personal
enrichment and social integration; and it is
society's most valuable tool for furthering
development and economic progress." (36)
We also rejoice at
the good work accomplished in this field by
private initiative, by the public
authorities, and by international
organizations. These are the primary agents
of development, because they enable man to
act for himself.
Role of the Family
36. Man is not
really himself, however, except within the
framework of society and there the family
plays the basic and most important role. The
family's influence may have been excessive
at some periods of history and in some
places, to the extent that it was exercised
to the detriment of the fundamental rights
of the individual. Yet time honored social
frameworks, proper to the developing
nations, are still necessary for awhile,
even as their excessive strictures are
gradually relaxed. The natural family,
stable and monogamous—as fashioned by God
(37) and sanctified by Christianity—"in
which different generations live together,
helping each other to acquire greater wisdom
and to harmonize personal rights with other
social needs, is the basis of society." (38)
Population Growth
37. There is no
denying that the accelerated rate of
population growth brings many added
difficulties to the problems of development
where the size of the population grows more
rapidly than the quantity of available
resources to such a degree that things seem
to have reached an impasse. In such
circumstances people are inclined to apply
drastic remedies to reduce the birth rate.
There is no doubt
that public authorities can intervene in
this matter, within the bounds of their
competence. They can instruct citizens on
this subject and adopt appropriate measures,
so long as these are in conformity with the
dictates of the moral law and the rightful
freedom of married couples is preserved
completely intact. When the inalienable
right of marriage and of procreation is
taken away, so is human dignity.
Finally, it is for
parents to take a thorough look at the
matter and decide upon the number of their
children. This is an obligation they take
upon themselves, before their children
already born, and before the community to
which they belong—following the dictates of
their own consciences informed by God's law
authentically interpreted, and bolstered by
their trust in Him. (39)
Professional Organizations
38. In the task of
development man finds the family to be the
first and most basic social structure; but
he is often helped by professional
organizations. While such organizations are
founded to aid and assist their members,
they bear a heavy responsibility for the
task of education which they can and must
carry out. In training and developing
individual men, they do much to cultivate in
them an awareness of the common good and of
its demands upon all.
39. Every form of
social action involves some doctrine; and
the Christian rejects that which is based on
a materialistic and atheistic philosophy,
namely one which shows no respect for a
religious outlook on life, for freedom or
human dignity. So long as these higher
values are preserved intact, however, the
existence of a variety of professional
organizations and trade unions is
permissible. Variety may even help to
preserve freedom and create friendly
rivalry. We gladly commend those people who
unselfishly serve their brothers by working
in such organizations.
Cultural Institutions
40. Cultural
institutions also do a great deal to further
the work of development. Their important
role was stressed by the Council: ". . . the
future of the world stands in peril unless
wiser men are forthcoming. It should also be
pointed out that many nations, poorer in
economic goods, are quite rich in wisdom and
can offer noteworthy advantages to others."
(40)
Every country, rich
or poor, has a cultural tradition handed
down from past generations. This tradition
includes institutions required by life in
the world, and higher manifestations—
artistic, intellectual and religious—of the
life of the spirit. When the latter embody
truly human values, it would be a great
mistake to sacrifice them for the sake of
the former. Any group of people who would
consent to let this happen, would be giving
up the better portion of their heritage; in
order to live, they would be giving up their
reason for living. Christ's question is
directed to nations also: "What does it
profit a man, if he gain the whole world but
suffer the loss of his own soul?'' (41)
Avoiding Past Temptations
41. The poorer
nations can never be too much on guard
against the temptation posed by the
wealthier nations. For these nations, with
their favorable results from a highly
technical and culturally developed
civilization, provide an example of work and
diligence with temporal prosperity the main
pursuit. Not that temporal prosperity of
itself precludes the activity of the human
spirit. Indeed, with it, "the human spirit,
being less subjected to material things, can
be more easily drawn to the worship and
contemplation of the Creator." (42) On the
other hand, "modern civilization itself
often complicates the approach to God, not
for any essential reason, but because it is
so much engrossed in worldly affairs . "
(43)
The developing
nations must choose wisely from among the
things that are offered to them. They must
test and reject false values that would
tarnish a truly human way of life, while
accepting noble and useful values in order
to develop them in their own distinctive
way, along with their own indigenous
heritage.
A
Full-Bodied Humanism
42. The ultimate
goal is a fullbodied humanism. (44) And does
this not mean the fulfillment of the whole
man and of every man? A narrow humanism,
closed in on itself and not open to the
values of the spirit and to God who is their
source, could achieve apparent success, for
man can set about organizing terrestrial
realities without God. But "closed off from
God, they will end up being directed against
man. A humanism closed off from other
realities becomes inhuman." (45)
True humanism
points the way toward God and acknowledges
the task to which we are called, the task
which offers us the real meaning of human
life. Man is not the ultimate measure of
man. Man becomes truly man only by passing
beyond himself. In the words of Pascal: "Man
infinitely surpasses man." (46)
II.
THE COMMON DEVELOPMENT OF MANKIND
43. Development of
the individual necessarily entails a joint
effort for the development of the human race
as a whole. At Bombay We said: "Man must
meet man, nation must meet nation, as
brothers and sisters, as children of God. In
this mutual understanding and friendship, in
this sacred communion, we must also begin to
work together to build the common future of
the human race." (47) We also urge men to
explore concrete and practicable ways of
organizing and coordinating their efforts,
so that available resources might be shared
with others; in this way genuine bonds
between nations might be forged.
Three Major Duties
44. This duty
concerns first and foremost the wealthier
nations. Their obligations stem from the
human and supernatural brotherhood of man,
and present a three-fold obligation: 1)
mutual solidarity—the aid that the richer
nations must give to developing nations; 2)
social justice—the rectification of trade
relations between strong and weak nations;
3) universal charity—the effort to build a
more humane world community, where all can
give and receive, and where the progress of
some is not bought at the expense of others.
The matter is urgent, for on it depends the
future of world civilization.
Aid to Developing Nations
45. "If a brother
or a sister be naked and in want of daily
food," says St. James, "and one of you say
to them, 'Go in peace, be warm and filled,'
yet you do not give them what is necessary
for the body, what does it profit?" (48)
Today no one can be unaware of the fact that
on some continents countless men and women
are ravished by hunger and countless
children are undernourished. Many children
die at an early age; many more of them find
their physical and mental growth retarded.
Thus whole populations are immersed in
pitiable circumstances and lose heart.
46. Anxious appeals
for help have already been voiced. That of
Our predecessor John XXIII was warmly
received. (49) We reiterated his sentiments
in Our Christmas message of 1963, (50) and
again in 1966 on behalf of India. (51) The
work of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has
been encouraged by the Holy See and has
found generous support. Our own
organization, Caritas Internationalis,
is at work all over the world. Many
Catholics, at the urging of Our brother
bishops, have contributed unstintingly to
the assistance of the needy and have
gradually widened the circle of those they
call neighbors.
A
World of Free Men
47. But these
efforts, as well as public and private
allocations of gifts, loans and investments,
are not enough. It is not just a question of
eliminating hunger and reducing poverty. It
is not just a question of fighting wretched
conditions, though this is an urgent and
necessary task. It involves building a human
community where men can live truly human
lives, free from discrimination on account
of race, religion or nationality, free from
servitude to other men or to natural forces
which they cannot yet control
satisfactorily. It involves building a human
community where liberty is not an idle word,
where the needy Lazarus can sit down with
the rich man at the same banquet table. (52)
On the part of the
rich man, it calls for great generosity,
willing sacrifice and diligent effort. Each
man must examine his conscience, which
sounds a new call in our present times. Is
he prepared to support, at his own expense,
projects and undertakings designed to help
the needy? Is he prepared to pay higher
taxes so that public authorities may expand
their efforts in the work of development? Is
he prepared to pay more for imported goods,
so that the foreign producer may make a
fairer profit? Is he prepared to emigrate
from his homeland if necessary and if he is
young, in order to help the emerging
nations?
A
National Duty
48. The duty of
promoting human solidarity also falls upon
the shoulders of nations: "It is a very
important duty of the advanced nations to
help the developing nations . . ." (53) This
conciliar teaching must be implemented.
While it is proper that a nation be the
first to enjoy the God-given fruits of its
own labor, no nation may dare to hoard its
riches for its own use alone. Each and every
nation must produce more and better goods
and products, so that all its citizens may
live truly human lives and so that it may
contribute to the common development of the
human race.
Considering the
mounting indigence of less developed
countries, it is only fitting that a
prosperous nation set aside some of the
goods it has produced in order to alleviate
their needs; and that it train educators,
engineers, technicians and scholars who will
contribute their knowledge and their skill
to these less fortunate countries.
Superfluous Wealth
49. We must repeat
that the superfluous goods of wealthier
nations ought to be placed at the disposal
of poorer nations. The rule, by virtue of
which in times past those nearest us were to
be helped in time of need, applies today to
all the needy throughout the world. And the
prospering peoples will be the first to
benefit from this. Continuing avarice on
their part will arouse the judgment of God
and the wrath of the poor, with consequences
no one can foresee. If prosperous nations
continue to be jealous of their own
advantage alone, they will jeopardize their
highest values, sacrificing the pursuit of
excellence to the acquisition of
possessions. We might well apply to them the
parable of the rich man. His fields yielded
an abundant harvest and he did not know
where to store it: "But God said to him,
'Fool, this very night your soul will be
demanded from you . . .' " (54)
Concerted Planning
50. If these
efforts are to be successful, they cannot be
disparate and disorganized; nor should they
vie with one another for the sake of power
or prestige. The times call for coordinated
planning of projects and programs, which are
much more effective than occasional efforts
promoted by individual goodwill.
As We said above,
studies must be made, goals must be defined,
methods and means must be chosen, and the
work of select men must be coordinated; only
then will present needs be met and future
demands anticipated. Moreover, such planned
programs do more than promote economic and
social progress. They give force and meaning
to the work undertaken, put due order into
human life, and thus enhance man's dignity
and his capabilities.
A
World Fund
51. A further step
must be taken. When We were at Bombay for
the Eucharistic Congress, We asked world
leaders to set aside part of their military
expenditures for a world fund to relieve the
needs of impoverished peoples. (55) What is
true for the immediate war against poverty
is also true for the work of national
development. Only a concerted effort on the
part of all nations, embodied in and carried
out by this world fund, will stop these
senseless rivalries and promote fruitful,
friendly dialogue between nations.
52. It is certainly
all right to maintain bilateral and
multilateral agreements. Through such
agreements, ties of dependence and feelings
of jealousy—holdovers from the era of
colonialism —give way to friendly
relationships of true solidarity that are
based on juridical and political equality.
But such agreements would be free of all
suspicion if they were integrated into an
overall policy of worldwide collaboration.
The member nations, who benefit from these
agreements, would have less reason for fear
or mistrust. They would not have to worry
that financial or technical assistance was
being used as a cover for some new form of
colonialism that would threaten their civil
liberty, exert economic pressure on them, or
create a new power group with controlling
influence.
53. Is it not plain
to everyone that such a fund would reduce
the need for those other expenditures that
are motivated by fear and stubborn pride?
Countless millions are starving, countless
families are destitute, countless men are
steeped in ignorance; countless people need
schools, hospitals, and homes worthy of the
name. In such circumstances, we cannot
tolerate public and private expenditures of
a wasteful nature; we cannot but condemn
lavish displays of wealth by nations or
individuals; we cannot approve a
debilitating arms race. It is Our solemn
duty to speak out against them. If only
world leaders would listen to Us, before it
is too late!
Dialogue Between Nations
54. All nations
must initiate the dialogue which We called
for in Our first encyclical, Ecclesiam Suam.
(56) A dialogue between those who contribute
aid and those who receive it will permit a
well-balanced assessment of the support to
be provided, taking into consideration not
only the generosity and the available wealth
of the donor nations, but also the real
needs of the receiving countries and the use
to which the financial assistance can be
put. Developing countries will thus no
longer risk being overwhelmed by debts whose
repayment swallows up the greater part of
their gains. Rates of interest and time for
repayment of the loan could be so arranged
as not to be too great a burden on either
party, taking into account free gifts,
interest-free or low-interest loans, and the
time needed for liquidating the debts.
The donors could
certainly ask for assurances as to how the
money will be used. It should be used for
some mutually acceptable purpose and with
reasonable hope of success, for there is no
question of backing idlers and parasites. On
the other hand, the recipients would
certainly have the right to demand that no
one interfere in the internal affairs of
their government or disrupt their social
order. As sovereign nations, they are
entitled to manage their own affairs, to
fashion their own policies, and to choose
their own form of government. In other
words, what is needed is mutual cooperation
among nations, freely undertaken, where each
enjoys equal dignity and can help to shape a
world community truly worthy of man.
An Urgent Task
55. This task might
seem impossible in those regions where the
daily struggle for subsistence absorbs the
attention of the family, where people are at
a loss to find work that might improve their
lot during their remaining days on earth.
These people must be given every possible
help; they must be encouraged to take steps
for their own betterment and to seek out the
means that will enable them to do so. This
common task undoubtedly calls for concerted,
continuing and courageous effort. But let
there be no doubt about it, it is an urgent
task. The very life of needy nations, civil
peace in the developing countries, and world
peace itself are at stake.
Equity in Trade Relations
56. Efforts are
being made to help the developing nations
financially and technologically. Some of
these efforts are considerable. Yet all
these efforts will prove to be vain and
useless, if their results are nullified to a
large extent by the unstable trade relations
between rich and poor nations. The latter
will have no grounds for hope or trust if
they fear that what is being given them with
one hand is being taken away with the other.
Growing Distortion
57. Highly
industrialized nations export their own
manufactured products, for the most part.
Less developed nations, on the other hand,
have nothing to sell but raw materials and
agricultural crops. As a result of technical
progress, the price of manufactured products
is rising rapidly and they find a ready
market. But the basic crops and raw
materials produced by the less developed
countries are subject to sudden and
wide-ranging shifts in market price; they do
not share in the growing market value of
industrial products.
This poses serious
difficulties to the developing nations. They
depend on exports to a large extent for a
balanced economy and for further steps
toward development. Thus the needy nations
grow more destitute, while the rich nations
become even richer.
Free Trade Concept Inadequate
58. It is evident
that the principle of free trade, by itself,
is no longer adequate for regulating
international agreements. It certainly can
work when both parties are about equal
economically; in such cases it stimulates
progress and rewards effort. That is why
industrially developed nations see an
element of justice in this principle.
But the case is
quite different when the nations involved
are far from equal. Market prices that are
freely agreed upon can turn out to be most
unfair. It must be avowed openly that, in
this case, the fundamental tenet of
liberalism (as it is called), as the norm
for market dealings, is open to serious
question.
Justice at Every Level
59. The teaching
set forth by Our predecessor Leo XIII in
Rerum Novarum is still valid today: when two
parties are in very unequal positions, their
mutual consent alone does not guarantee a
fair contract; the rule of free consent
remains subservient to the demands of the
natural law. (57) In Rerum Novarum
this principle was set down with regard to a
just wage for the individual worker; but it
should be applied with equal force to
contracts made between nations: trade
relations can no longer be based solely on
the principle of free, unchecked
competition, for it very often creates an
economic dictatorship. Free trade can be
called just only when it conforms to the
demands of social justice.
60. As a matter of
fact, the highly developed nations have
already come to realize this. At times they
take appropriate measures to restore balance
to their own economy, a balance which is
frequently upset by competition when left to
itself. Thus it happens that these nations
often support their agriculture at the price
of sacrifices imposed on economically more
favored sectors. Similarly, to maintain the
commercial relations which are developing
among themselves, especially within a common
market, the financial, fiscal and social
policy of these nations tries to restore
comparable opportunities to competing
industries which are not equally prospering.
One Standard for All
61. Now in this
matter one standard should hold true for
all. What applies to national economies and
to highly developed nations must also apply
to trade relations between rich and poor
nations. Indeed, competition should not be
eliminated from trade transactions; but it
must be kept within limits so that it
operates justly and fairly, and thus becomes
a truly human endeavor.
Now in trade
relations between the developing and the
highly developed economies there is a great
disparity in their overall situation and in
their freedom of action. In order that
international trade be human and moral,
social justice requires that it restore to
the participants a certain equality of
opportunity. To be sure, this equality will
not be attained at once, but we must begin
to work toward it now by injecting a certain
amount of equality into discussions and
price talks.
Here again
international agreements on a broad scale
can help a great deal. They could establish
general norms for regulating prices,
promoting production facilities, and
favoring certain infant industries. Isn't it
plain to everyone that such attempts to
establish greater justice in international
trade would be of great benefit to the
developing nations, and that they would
produce lasting results?
The Obstacles of Nationalism . . .
62. There are other
obstacles to creation of a more just social
order and to the development of world
solidarity: nationalism and racism. It is
quite natural that nations recently arrived
at political independence should be quite
jealous of their new-found but fragile unity
and make every effort to preserve it. It is
also quite natural for nations with a
long-standing cultural tradition to be proud
of their traditional heritage. But this
commendable attitude should be further
ennobled by love, a love for the whole
family of man. Haughty pride in one's own
nation disunites nations and poses obstacles
to their true welfare. It is especially
harmful where the weak state of the economy
calls for a pooling of information, efforts
and financial resources to implement
programs of development and to increase
commercial and cultural interchange. . . .
and Racism
63. Racism is not
the exclusive attribute of young nations,
where sometimes it hides beneath the
rivalries of clans and political parties,
with heavy losses for justice and at the
risk of civil war. During the colonial
period it often flared up between the
colonists and the indigenous population, and
stood in the way of mutually profitable
understanding, often giving rise to
bitterness in the wake of genuine
injustices. It is still an obstacle to
collaboration among disadvantaged nations
and a cause of division and hatred within
countries whenever individuals and families
see the inviolable rights of the human
person held in scorn, as they themselves are
unjustly subjected to a regime of
discrimination because of their race or
their color.
Hopes for the Future
64. This state of
affairs, which bodes ill for the future,
causes Us great distress and anguish. But We
cherish this hope: that distrust and
selfishness among nations will eventually be
overcome by a stronger desire for mutual
collaboration and a heightened sense of
solidarity. We hope that the developing
nations will take advantage of their
geographical proximity to one another to
organize on a broader territorial base and
to pool their efforts for the development of
a given region. We hope that they will draw
up joint programs, coordinate investment
funds wisely, divide production quotas
fairly, and exercise management over the
marketing of these products. We also hope
that multilateral and broad international
associations will undertake the necessary
work of organization to find ways of helping
needy nations, so that these nations may
escape from the fetters now binding them; so
that they themselves may discover the road
to cultural and social progress, while
remaining faithful to the native genius of
their land.
The Artisans of Destiny
65. That is the
goal toward which we must work. An ever more
effective world solidarity should allow all
peoples to become the artisans of their
destiny. Up to now relations between nations
have too often been governed by force;
indeed, that is the hallmark of past
history.
May the day come
when international relationships will be
characterized by respect and friendship,
when mutual cooperation will be the hallmark
of collaborative efforts, and when concerted
effort for the betterment of all nations
will be regarded as a duty by every nation.
The developing nations now emerging are
asking that they be allowed to take part in
the construction of a better world, a world
which would provide better protection for
every man's rights and duties. It is
certainly a legitimate demand, so everyone
must heed and fulfill it.
Worldwide Brotherly Love
66. Human society
is sorely ill. The cause is not so much the
depletion of natural resources, nor their
monopolistic control by a privileged few; it
is rather the weakening of brotherly ties
between individuals and nations.
Welcoming the Stranger
67. We cannot
insist too much on the duty of giving
foreigners a hospitable reception. It is a
duty imposed by human solidarity and by
Christian charity, and it is incumbent upon
families and educational institutions in the
host nations.
Young people, in
particular, must be given a warm reception;
more and more families and hostels must open
their doors to them. This must be done,
first of all, that they may be shielded from
feelings of loneliness, distress and despair
that would sap their strength. It is also
necessary so that they may be guarded
against the corrupting influence of their
new surroundings, where the contrast between
the dire poverty of their homeland and the
lavish luxury of their present surroundings
is, as it were, forced upon them. And
finally, it must be done so that they may be
protected from subversive notions and
temptations to violence, which gain headway
in their minds when they ponder their
"wretched plight.'' (58) In short, they
should be welcomed in the spirit of
brotherly love, so that the concrete example
of wholesome living may give them a high
opinion of authentic Christian charity and
of spiritual values.
68. We are deeply
distressed by what happens to many of these
young people. They come to wealthier nations
to acquire scientific knowledge,
professional training, and a high-quality
education that will enable them to serve
their own land with greater effectiveness.
They do get a fine education, but very often
they lose their respect for the priceless
cultural heritage of their native land.
69. Emigrant
workers should also be given a warm welcome.
Their living conditions are often inhuman,
and they must scrimp on their earnings in
order to send help to their families who
have remained behind in their native land in
poverty.
A
Social Sense
70. We would also
say a word to those who travel to newly
industrialized nations for business
purposes: industrialists, merchants,
managers and representatives of large
business concerns. It often happens that in
their own land they do not lack a social
sense. Why is it, then, that they give in to
baser motives of self-interest when they set
out to do business in the developing
countries? Their more favored position
should rather spur them on to be initiators
of social progress and human betterment in
these lands. Their organizational experience
should help them to figure out ways to make
intelligent use of the labor of the
indigenous population, to develop skilled
workers, to train engineers and other
management men, to foster these people's
initiative and prepare them for offices of
ever greater responsibility. In this way
they will prepare these people to take over
the burden of management in the near future.
In the meantime,
justice must prevail in dealings between
superiors and their subordinates. Legitimate
contracts should govern these employment
relations, spelling out the duties involved.
And no one, whatever his status may be,
should be unjustly subjected to the
arbitrary whim of another.
Development Missions
71. We certainly
rejoice over the fact that an ever
increasing number of experts are being sent
on development missions by private groups,
bilateral associations and international
organizations. These specialists must not
"act as overlords, but as helpers and fellow
workers.'' (59) The people of a country soon
discover whether their new helpers are
motivated by good will or not, whether they
want to enhance human dignity or merely try
out their special techniques. The expert's
message will surely be rejected by these
people if it is not inspired by brotherly
love.
The Role of Experts
72. Technical
expertise is necessary, but it must be
accompanied by concrete signs of genuine
love. Untainted by overbearing nationalistic
pride or any trace of racial discrimination,
experts should learn how to work in
collaboration with everyone. They must
realize that their expert knowledge does not
give them superiority in every sphere of
life. The culture which shaped their living
habits does contain certain universal human
elements; but it cannot be regarded as the
only culture, nor can it regard other
cultures with haughty disdain. If it is
introduced into foreign lands, it must
undergo adaptation.
Thus those who
undertake such work must realize they are
guests in a foreign land; they must see to
it that they studiously observe its
historical traditions, its rich culture, and
its peculiar genius. A rapprochement between
cultures will thus take place, bringing
benefits to both sides.
Service to the World
73. Sincere
dialogue between cultures, as between
individuals, paves the way for ties of
brotherhood. Plans proposed for man's
betterment will unite all nations in the
joint effort to be undertaken, if every
citizen—be he a government leader, a public
official, or a simple workman—is motivated
by brotherly love and is truly anxious to
build one universal human civilization that
spans the globe. Then we shall see the start
of a dialogue on man rather than on the
products of the soil or of technology.
This dialogue will
be fruitful if it shows the participants how
to make economic progress and how to achieve
spiritual growth as well; if the technicians
take the role of teachers and educators; if
the training provided is characterized by a
concern for spiritual and moral values, so
that it ensures human betterment as well as
economic growth. Then the bonds of
solidarity will endure, even when the aid
programs are past and gone. It is not plain
to all that closer ties of this sort will
contribute immeasurably to the preservation
of world peace?
An Appeal to Youth
74. We are fully
aware of the fact that many young people
have already responded wholeheartedly to the
invitation of Our predecessor Pius XII,
summoning the laity to take part in
missionary work. (60) We also know that
other young people have offered their
services to public and private organizations
that seek to aid developing nations. We are
delighted to learn that in some nations
their requirement of military duty can be
fulfilled, in part at least, by social
service or, simply, service. We commend such
undertakings and the men of good will who
take part in them. Would that all those who
profess to be followers of Christ might heed
His plea: "I was hungry and you gave me to
eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink;
I was a stranger and you took me in; naked
and you covered me; sick and you visited me;
I was in prison and you came to me." (61)
No one is permitted
to disregard the plight of his brothers
living in dire poverty, enmeshed in
ignorance and tormented by insecurity. The
Christian, moved by this sad state of
affairs, should echo the words of Christ: "I
have compassion on the crowd." (62)
Prayer and Action
75. Let everyone
implore God the Father Almighty that the
human race, which is certainly aware of
these evils, will bend every effort of mind
and spirit to their eradication. To this
prayer should be added the resolute
commitment of every individual. Each should
do as much as he can, as best he can, to
counteract the slow pace of progress in some
nations. And it is to be hoped that
individuals, social organizations and
nations will join hands in brotherly
fashion—the strong aiding the weak—all
contributing their knowledge, their
enthusiasm and their love to the task,
without thinking of their own convenience.
It is the person
who is motivated by genuine love, more than
anyone else, who pits his intelligence
against the problems of poverty, trying to
uncover the causes and looking for effective
ways of combatting and overcoming them. As a
promoter of peace, "he goes on his way,
holding aloft the torch of joy and shedding
light and grace on the hearts of men all
over the world; he helps them to cross the
barriers of geographical frontiers, to
acknowledge every man as a friend and
brother." (63)
Development, the New Name for Peace
76. Extreme
disparity between nations in economic,
social and educational levels provokes
jealousy and discord, often putting peace in
jeopardy. As We told the Council Fathers on
Our return from the United Nations: "We have
to devote our attention to the situation of
those nations still striving to advance.
What We mean, to put it in clearer words, is
that our charity toward the poor, of whom
there are countless numbers in the world,
has to become more solicitous, more
effective, more generous." (64)
When we fight
poverty and oppose the unfair conditions of
the present, we are not just promoting human
well-being; we are also furthering man's
spiritual and moral development, and hence
we are benefiting the whole human race. For
peace is not simply the absence of warfare,
based on a precarious balance of power; it
is fashioned by efforts directed day after
day toward the establishment of the ordered
universe willed by God, with a more perfect
form of justice among men. (65)
77. Nations are the
architects of their own development, and
they must bear the burden of this work; but
they cannot accomplish it if they live in
isolation from others. Regional mutual aid
agreements among the poorer nations,
broaderbased programs of support for these
nations, major alliances between nations to
coordinate these activities—these are the
road signs that point the way to national
development and world peace.
Toward an Effective World Authority
78. Such
international collaboration among the
nations of the world certainly calls for
institutions that will promote, coordinate
and direct it, until a new juridical order
is firmly established and fully ratified. We
give willing and wholehearted support to
those public organizations that have already
joined in promoting the development of
nations, and We ardently hope that they will
enjoy ever growing authority. As We told the
United Nations General Assembly in New York:
"Your vocation is to bring not just some
peoples but all peoples together as
brothers. . . Who can fail to see the need
and importance of thus gradually coming to
the establishment of a world authority
capable of taking effective action on the
juridical and political planes?" (66)
Hope for the Future
79. Some would
regard these hopes as vain flights of fancy.
It may be that these people are not
realistic enough, and that they have not
noticed that the world is moving rapidly in
a certain direction. Men are growing more
anxious to establish closer ties of
brotherhood; despite their ignorance, their
mistakes, their offenses, and even their
lapses into barbarism and their wanderings
from the path of salvation, they are slowly
making their way to the Creator, even
without adverting to it.
This struggle
toward a more human way of life certainly
calls for hard work and imposes difficult
sacrifices. But even adversity, when endured
for the sake of one's brothers and out of
love for them, can contribute greatly to
human progress. The Christian knows full
well that when he unites himself with the
expiatory sacrifice of the Divine Savior, he
helps greatly to build up the body of
Christ, (67) to assemble the People of God
into the fullness of Christ.
A
Final Appeal
80. We must travel
this road together, united in minds and
hearts. Hence We feel it necessary to remind
everyone of the seriousness of this issue in
all its dimensions, and to impress upon them
the need for action. The moment for action
has reached a critical juncture. Can
countless innocent children be saved? Can
countless destitute families obtain more
human living conditions? Can world peace and
human civilization be preserved intact?
Every individual and every nation must face
up to this issue, for it is their problem.
To Catholics
81. We appeal,
first of all, to Our sons. In the developing
nations and in other countries lay people
must consider it their task to improve the
temporal order. While the hierarchy has the
role of teaching and authoritatively
interpreting the moral laws and precepts
that apply in this matter, the laity have
the duty of using their own initiative and
taking action in this area—without waiting
passively for directives and precepts from
others. They must try to infuse a Christian
spirit into people's mental outlook and
daily behavior, into the laws and structures
of the civil community. (68) Changes must be
made; present conditions must be improved.
And the transformations must be permeated
with the spirit of the Gospel.
We especially urge
Catholic men living in developed nations to
offer their skills and earnest assistance to
public and private organizations, both civil
and religious, working to solve the problems
of developing nations. They will surely want
to be in the first ranks of those who spare
no effort to have just and fair laws, based
on moral precepts, established among all
nations.
To Other Christians and Believers
82. All Our
Christian brothers, We are sure will want to
consolidate and expand their collaborative
efforts to reduce man's immoderate self-love
and haughty pride, to eliminate quarrels and
rivalries, and to repress demagoguery and
injustice—so that a more human way of living
is opened to all, with each man helping
others out of brotherly love.
Furthermore, We
still remember with deep affection the
dialogue We had with various non Christian
individuals and communities in Bombay. So
once again We ask these brothers of Ours to
do all in their power to promote living
conditions truly worthy of the children of
God.
To All Men of Good Will
83. Finally, We
look to all men of good will, reminding them
that civil progress and economic development
are the only road to peace. Delegates to
international organizations, public
officials, gentlemen of the press, teachers
and educators—all of you must realize that
you have your part to play in the
construction of a new world order. We ask
God to enlighten and strengthen you all, so
that you may persuade all men to turn their
attention to these grave questions and
prompt nations to work toward their solution
.
Educators, you
should resolve to inspire young people with
a love for the needy nations. Gentlemen of
the press, your job is to place before our
eyes the initiatives that are being taken to
promote mutual aid, and the tragic spectacle
of misery and poverty that people tend to
ignore in order to salve their consciences.
Thus at least the wealthy will know that the
poor stand outside their doors waiting to
receive some left-overs from their banquets.
To Government Authorities
84. Government
leaders, your task is to draw your
communities into closer ties of solidarity
with all men, and to convince them that they
must accept the necessary taxes on their
luxuries and their wasteful expenditures in
order to promote the development of nations
and the preservation of peace. Delegates to
international organizations, it is largely
your task to see to it that senseless arms
races and dangerous power plays give way to
mutual collaboration between nations, a
collaboration that is friendly,
peaceoriented, and divested of
self-interest, a collaboration that
contributes greatly to the common
development of mankind and allows the
individual to find fulfillment.
To Thoughtful Men
85. It must be
admitted that men very often find themselves
in a sad state because they do not give
enough thought and consideration to these
things. So We call upon men of deep thought
and wisdom—Catholics and Christians,
believers in God and devotees of truth and
justice, all men of good will—to take as
their own Christ's injunction, "Seek and you
shall find." (69) Blaze the trails to mutual
cooperation among men, to deeper knowledge
and more widespread charity, to a way of
life marked by true brotherhood, to a human
society based on mutual harmony.
To All Promoters of Development
86. Finally, a word
to those of you who have heard the cries of
needy nations and have come to their aid. We
consider you the promoters and apostles of
genuine progress and true development.
Genuine progress does not consist in wealth
sought for personal comfort or for its own
sake; rather it consists in an economic
order designed for the welfare of the human
person, where the daily bread that each man
receives reflects the glow of brotherly love
and the helping hand of God.
87. We bless you
with all Our heart, and We call upon all men
of good will to join forces with you as a
band of brothers. Knowing, as we all do,
that development means peace these days,
what man would not want to work for it with
every ounce of his strength? No one, of
course. So We beseech all of you to respond
wholeheartedly to Our urgent plea, in the
name of the Lord.
Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, on the feast
of the Resurrection, March 26, 1967, in the
fourth year of Our pontificate.
PAUL VI
NOTES
LATIN
TEXT: Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 59
(1967), 257-99.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION: The Pope Speaks,
12 (Spring, 1967), 144-72.
REFERENCES
(1)
Cf. Acta Leonis XIII, 11 (1892),
97-148.
(2)
Cf. AAS 23 (1931), 177-228.
(3)
Cf., for example, Radio message of June 1,
1941, on the 50th anniversary of Leo XIII's
Encyclical letter Rerum novarum: AAS
33 (1941), 195-205; Radio message, Christmas
1942: AAS 35 (1943), 9-24; Allocution to
Italian Catholic Workers Association,
meeting to commemorate Rerum novarum,
May 14, 1953: AAS 45 (1953), 402-408.
(4)
Cf. AAS 53 (1961), 401-464.
(5)
Cf. AAS 55 (1963), 257-304.
14.
(6) Cf. Encyc. letter Mater et Magistra:
AAS 53 (1961), 440.
15.
(7) Cf. Pastoral Constitution on the
Church in the World of Today, no. 63:
AAS 58 (1966), 1084 [cf. TPS XI, 302].
(8)
Apostolic letter motu proprio,
Catholicam Christi Ecclesiam: AAS 59
(1967), 27 [cf. v. 12 of TPS, 103-106].
(9)
Cf. Leo XIII, Encyc. letter Rerum novarum:
Acta Leonis XIII, 11 (1892), 98.
(10)
Cf. Church in the World of Today, no.
63: AAS 58 (1966),1085 [cf. TPS XI, 302].
(11)
Cf. Lk 7, 22.
(12)
Cf. Church in the World of Today, no.
3: AAS 58 (1966), 1026 [cf. TPS XI, 261].
(13)
Cf. Leo XIII, Encyc. letter Immortale Dei:
Acta Leonis XIII 5 (1885), 127.
(14)
Church in the World of Today, no. 4:
AAS 58 (1966), 1027 [cf. TPS XI, 261].
(15)
Cf. L. J. Lebret, O.P., Dynamique
concrète du développement Paris:
Economie et Humanisme, Les editions
ouvrierès (1961), 28.
(16) 2
Thes 3. 10.
(17)
Cf., for example, J. Maritain, Les
conditions spintuelles du progrès et de la
paix, in an anthology entitled
Rencontre des cultures à l'UNESCO sous le
signe du Concile Oecuménique Vatican II,
Paris: Mame (1966), 66.
(18)
Cf. Mt 5. 3.
(19)
Gn 1. 28.
(20)
Church in the World of Today, no. 69:
AAS 58 (1966), 1090 [cf. TPS XI,
306].
(21) 1
Jn 3. 17.
(22)
De Nabute, c. 12, n. 53: PL 14. 747;
cf. J. R. Palanque, Saint Ambroise et
l'empire romain, Paris: de Boccard
(1933), 336 ff.
16.
(23) Letter to the 52nd Social Week at
Brest, in L'homme et la révolution
urbaine, Lyon: Chronique sociale (1965),
8-9.
17.
(24) Church in the World of Today,
no. 71: AAS 58 (1966), 1093 [cf. TPS XI,
308].
(25)
Ibid., no. 65: AAS 58 (1966), 1086
[cf. TPS XI, 303].
(26)
Encyc.letter Ouadragesimo anno: AAS
23 (1931), 212.
(27)
Cf., for example, Colin Clark, The
Conditions of Economic Progress, 3rd
ed., New York: St. Martin's Press (1960),
3-6.
(28)
Letter to the 51st Social Week at Lyon, in
Le travail et les travailleurs dans la
societé contemporaine, Lyon: Chronique
sociale (1965), 6.
(29)
Cf., for example, M. D. Chenu, O.P., Pour
une théologie du travail, Paris:
Editions du Seuil (1955) [Eng. tr. The
Theology of Work, Dublin: Gill, 1963].
(30)
Encyc.letter Mater et Magistra: AAS
53 (1961), 423 [cf. TPS VII, 312].
(31)
Cf., for example, O. von Nell-Breuning,
S.J., Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft,
vol. 1: Grundfragen, Freiburg: Herder
(1956), 183-184.
(32)
Eph 4. 13.
(33)
Cf., for example, Emmanuel Larrain
Errázuriz, Bishop of Talca, Chile, President
of CELAM, Lettre pastorale sur le
développement et la paix, Paris: Pax
Christi (1965).
(34)
Church in the World of Today, no. 26:
AAS 58 (1966), 1046 [TPS XI, 275]
(35)
John XXIII, Encyc.letter Mater et
Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), 414.
(36)
L'Osservatore Romano, Sept. 11, 1965;
La Documentation Catholique, 62
(1965), 1674-1675.
(37)
Cf. Mt 19. 6.
(38)
Church in the World of Today, no. 52:
AAS 58 (1966), 1073 [cf. TPS XI, 294].
(39)
Ibid., nos. 50-51, with note 14: AAS
58 (1966), 1070-1073 [cf. TPS XI, 292-293];
also no. 87, p. 1110 [cf. TPS XI, 319-320].
(40)
Cf. ibid., no. 15: AAS 58 (1966),
1036 [cf. TPS XI, 268].
(41)
Mt 16. 26.
(42)
Church in the World of Today, no. 57:
AAS 58 (1966), 1078 [cf. TPS XI, 297].
(43)
Ibid., no. 19: AAS 58 (1966), 1039
[cf. TPS XI, 270].
(44)
Cf., for example, J. Maritain,
L'humanisme intégral, Paris: Aubier
(1936) [Eng. tr. True Humanism, New
York: Charles Scribner's Sons (1938)].
(45)
Cf. H. de Lubac, S.J., Le drame de
l'humanisme athée, 3rd ed., Paris: Spes
(1945), 10 [Eng. tr. The Drama of
Atheistic Humanism, London: Sheed and
Ward (1949), 7]
(46)
Pensées, ed. Brunschvicg, n. 434; cf.
Maurice Zundel, L'homme passe l'homme,
Le Caire: Editions du lien (1944).
(47)
Cf. Address to representatives of
non-Christian religions, Dec. 3, 1964: AAS
57 (1965), 132 [cf. TPS X, 153].
(48)
Jas 2. 15-16.
(49)
Cf. Encyc.letter Mater et Magistra:
AAS 53 (1961), 440 ff.
(50)
Cf. Christmas message, December 1963: AAS 56
(1964), 57-58.
(51)
Cf. Encicliche e discorsi di Paolo VI,
vol. IX: ed. Paoline, Rome (1966), 132-136.
(52)
Cf. Lk 16. 19-31.
18.
(53) Church in the World of Today,
no. 86: AAS 58 (1966) 1109 [cf. TPS XI,
319].
19.
(54) Lk 12. 20.
(55)
Special message to the world, delivered to
newsmen during India visit, December 4,
1964: AAS 57 (1965), 135 [cf. TPS X, 158-
159].
(56)
Cf. AAS 56 (1964), 639 ff. [cf. TPS X, 275
ff.].
(57)
Cf. Acta Leonis XIII, 11 (1892), 131.
(58)
Cf. Leo XIII, Encyc.letter Rerum novarum:
Acta Leonis XIII, 11 (1892), 98.
(59)
Church in the World of Today, no. 85:
AAS 58 (1966), 1108 [cf. TPS XI, 318].
(60)
Cf. encyc.letter Fidei donum: AAS 49
(1957), 246.
(61)
Mt 25. 35-36.
(62)
Mk 8. 2.
(63)
John XXIII, Address upon receiving the
Balzan Peace Prize, May 10, 1963: AAS 55
(1963), 455.
(64)
AAS 57 (1965), 896 [cf. TPS XI, 64].
(65)
Cf. John XXIII, encyc.letter Pacem in
terris: AAS 55 (1963), 301.
(66)
AAS 57 (1965), 880 [cf. TPS XI, 51].
(67)
Eph 4. 12. Cf. Second Vatican
Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the
Church, no. 13: AAS 57 (1965), 17 [cf.
TPS ^X, 367-68].
(68)
Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree on the
Apostolate of the Laity, nos. 7, 13, 24:
AAS 58 (1966), 843, 849, 856 [cf. TPS XI,
125, 130, 135].
(69)
Lk ll.9.